Diver&#39;s bell



May 13, 1930. J. UGHI 1,758,094

DIVERS BELL Filed March 16, 1925 72 JAN/5 l/q/i/ nvemtoz Patented May 13, 1930 UNITED STATES JAMES UGHI, OF NEW BOSTON, OHIO DIVER/S BELL Application filed March 16, 1925. Serial no. 15,733.

This invention relates generallyto a divers bell and more particularly to such an apparatus for supporting and enclosing cameras used in marine photography.

In taking pictures under the water, es

pecially in very deep water, great difficulty has been experienced in keeping the camera in a balanced and upright position due to the very great pressure of the water. It is a feature of the present invention to provide a casing for supporting and enclosing the camera and other paraphernalia, which casing because of its novel shape tends to balance itself in an upright position.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a supplemental device for balancing the casing and keeping it in an upright position.

A further feature is to provide a casing that will automatically adjust itself to the irregular shaped floor or bottom of the body of water in which it is submerged so that it will keep its upright position.

Other features and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, showing one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a'longitudinal sectional view of the improved apparatus.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicatedby the line 22 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

In taking pictures under the water, a water tight and air tight casing 10 is provided, in which casing is mounted the camera and other paraphernalia necessary for the convenience of the operator. This casing 10 when submerged in deep water is subject to great pressure due to the weight of the water and is liable to be knocked off its balance or carried away by the currents of water. One of the features of the present'invention is to provide a casing that is of such a shape that its circumference ofiers a minimum ofspace against which said pressure may be exerted. As illustrated, the improved casing 10 is sub-- stantially elliptical in shape, being about twice as long as it is wide. In practice, it is built sufficiently long to permit the camera and other paraphernalia to be mounted and to permit'the operator to work inside it while he is in a standing position. The wall 11- and floor 12 of the casing are formed of steel or other material suitable to resist the pressure exerted by the water thereon. The wall and floor are substantially a foot or more thick to afiord the necessary resistance against the water pressure and to give weight to the casing. The casing terminates at its upper end in a neck portion 13' formed with heavy external screw threads 14:. This end of the casing is closed by a cover 15 made of the same material as the walls and floor of the casing and is as rugged in build. The cover 15 is formed with an annular depending flange portion 16 having heavy internal screw threads 17 which are adapted to engage with the screw threads 14 on the neck portion 13 when the cover is in effective position. To afford an air tight and water tight connection between the cover and the neck portion, gaskets 18 are disposed therebet-ween,

It will be noted that the casing 10 is di vided into an upper chamber 19 and a lower chamber 20. These chambers are separated by means of a floor comprising an annular plate member 21 fixed on a ring member 22 secured to the wall 11 of the casing. The remainder of thefloor comprises a door member 23 hinged to the annular plate 21 as indicated at 24:. A channel 25 is formed in said door member 23 for convenience in grasping said door for opening the same. All the parts of said floor are made of steel to afford the necessary strength and also to afford additional weight to the casing. The camera may be positioned on this floor and the said floor is disposed sufficiently low to permit the operator to stand thereon and work.

Mounted in the lower chamber 20, at one side thereof, on shelves 26 fixed on brackets 27 secured to the wall 11 are a set of tanks, one of which, indicated at 28, supplies by means of tube 29 the necessary air or oxygen for the operator, and the other, indicated at 30, may also supply through the tube 31 compressed oxygen, or it may contain chemical substances necessary for absorbing the impurities in the air caused by the breathing of the operator.

Positioned on the opposite side of the space 19 and at different heights.

chamber 20, on brackets 32, are batteries 33 for supplying the necessary electrical energy, by means of the conductors 34, for operating an electric reflector, a motion picture camera, and any other desired apparatus, as well as such devices which are necessary to control said source of electrical energy and said apparatus. These apparatus and devices are conveniently designated by the numeral 35 and are mounted on a bracket 36 fixed to the wall of the upper chamber 19.

Carried on a bracket 37 fixed to the wall of the upper chamber 19 is a telephone 38, by means of the conductor 39 of which communication is had with the ship (not shown) above.

As will be obvious, the upper chamber 19 is provided with a series of steps 40 to facilitate the entrance to or departure from the interior of the casing.

For the purpose of taking pictures, at different angles, the wall 11 of the casing is formed with a plurality of openings 41, preferably disposed at different sides of the As all these openings are the same, a description of one will suffice for all. Said opening 41 adjacent to the outer periphery of the wall 11 is formed with interior screw threads 42 and with an annular seat or shouldered portion 43. Extending from said seat 43, the opening is reduced in area somewhat, which reduced area, indicated at 44, is cone-shaped and terminates in a shouldered portion 45.

' The remainder of the opening adjacent the inner periphery of the wall 11 is shaped like an inverted cone.

Disposed in the reduced or cone-shaped area 44 of the opening is a glass light 46 which is formed convex and very thick to withstand the pressure of the water. Mounted in the opening adjacent the outer periphery of the casing is a disk or nut 47 provided with external screw threads adapted to engage the internal threads 42 of the opening to lock and hold the glass 46 in place. A plurality of holes 48 are formed in said nut 47 to per mit it to be turned by means of a wrench or other suitable tool. Positioned between the nut 47 and the shouldered portion 43 is a gasket 49 and positioned between the lower surface of the glass 46 and the shouldered portion 45 of the opening is another gasket 50, which gaskets afford a water tight and air tight connection at these points.

It will be noted that the necessary paraphernalia including the tanks and batteries are located in the lower chamber adjacent the bottom of the casing and that the floor is positioned at a point below and removed from the center line of the casing. This construction together with the elliptical shape of the casing itself tends to keep the casing in an upright position to enable the camera to be held in an upright position. It

is an important feature of the present invention, however, to provide supplemental means for keeping said casing in an upright position when suspended by means of a cable 51 from the ship above. To accomplish this end, the floor 12 of the casing has formed therein an opening comprising an inverted cone-shaped portion 52 which terminates in a shouldered portion 53, and a reduced portion 52'. Disposed in this opening is a double conical disk member 54, having an upper conical reduced extension 55, a screw threaded stem 56 and a squared termination 57 thereof. A disk shaped nut 58 co-operates with the stem 56 and the double coned disk 54 may be pulled in a tightly closing position thereby the watertight closing being assisted by the elastic gaskets 59 and 60. The whole double coned disk member 54 may again be turned by a wrench 61 applied to the squared termination 57 The purpose of the double coned member 54 is to suspend a balancing weight at the bottom of the device in such a manner that it may be released from the inside of the same. For this purpose the balancing weight 62 is suspended by a chain or hook element 63 from a disk member 64 secured to the bottom of my divers bell in a manner to be described presently. Lugs 65 are provided at the bottom periphery of the opening 52 and the disk 64 has corresponding arcuate extensions 66 and recessed portions 67. The upper surface of the disk 64 further has slots 68 provided therein into which fit the extensions or projections 69 provided at the bottom surface of the double coned member 54. It will be obvious by inspecting the drawings that as soon as the disk 64 is turned a small degree around so that lugs 65 will register with recesses 67, the disk will be released from said lugs at the bottom of my device and the weight 62 will be dropped. The turning of the disk 64 is executed from inside of the bell through the wrench 61, double coned member 54, and cooperating slots and projections 68 and 69. The weight 62 may be secured to the bottom of my device in a reverse manner by the same operation.

The purpose of the balancing weight is to help to keep my device in an upright position even against strong currents of water or other disturbing influences. Another object of the same is to secure a quick and even descent of my bell to the desired depths. If, however, my bell should strike bottom in such a position that it will be desirable to disconnect said weight, or if such disconnection becomes necessary in order to free the bell which might be entangled in some object by its weight, or when a sudden withdrawal becomes necessary, then the operator inside of the bell may himself disconnect and drop the weight and again tightly close the member 4, in case it happened to be somewhat loosened through 1 inadvertent dropping of the weight. A strong, heavy ear 7 may be provided at the bottom surface of the disk 64: to secure the weight carrying member 63 thereto.

To make my diving bell further adjustable to certain conditions, I provide a receptacle for my weight in which the amount of balance carried may be reduced or increased. The character 71 indicates such a receptacle,

preferably made of heavy steel and representing a considerable amount of balancing weight of itself. Inside of this receptacle I may store blocks of Weights 7 2, and the number of such blocks may be increased or reduced according to necessity.

It might become necessary to rest the casing 10 on the bottom or floor of the body of water in which it is submerged such floors usually being irregular in contour.

It is an important feature of this invention to provide means whereby the casing 10 may adjust itself to this irregularity, thus permitting it to stand in an upright position. This is accomplished by providing adjustable leg members, comprising sleeve members 69 in which is mounted a plunger 70 formed with a heavy annular flange 71. Disposed in said sleeve member 69 is a heavy spiral spring 72, one end of which seats on the flange 71 and the other is secured to the wall 11 of the casing. The plunger 70 is normally kept in outward position by means of this spring 72. As will be understood when the casing 10 is su ported on the leg members, said casing wil adjust itself to a substantially upright position through the plungers 70 moving inwardly against the action of the spring 7 2.

It will be understood that variations may 40 be resorted to and parts of the improvements may be used without others, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: In a divers bell, having a casing, the floor portion of said casing being formed with a conical opening, a cone shaped disk tightly but rotatably mounted in said conical opening, and operable from the inside of said casing, a plate connected with the bottom face 1) portion of said conical disk by a slot and stud connection; inwardly extending lugs formed on the periphery of the conical opening in the fioor portion; arcuate extensions formed on said plate and adapted to engage said inwardly extending lugs to lock said plate to said casing, said plate to carry a weight for sinking and balancin said casing, said extensions being adapte to be disengaged from the lugs in the floor opening of the casing upon the turning of said cone shaped disk, and said plate and weight thereby released from said casing.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

v JAMES UGI-II. 

